Reddit mentions of Framemeister XRGB-Mini

You have a ton of options at varying prices. I'll try and list out some of them.

RF - Nobody should use RF, unless you have no other options.

Composite - Purchase a toaster style NES, a clone system or mod your toploader. The PQ on an HDTV will not be great and the picture will need to be upscaled on your TV, which also introduces some lag. This option is much better than RF, but much worse than RGB/HDMI. This option will cost anywhere from $20 - $80.

RGB - You can purchase Tim Worthington's RGB board and install it (or pay to have it installed). You can have this installed with a multi-out port (like an SNES) and this can be used in a variety of ways. You can attach an s-video cable to it or buy one of HD Retrovisions SNES component cables. This will give you a much better picture on your HDTV, but depending on how the handles 240p, it may still have problems. Definitely an upgrade from composite. This will all run you around $200 +/-. You can also use this mod to run through a Framemeister which will give you a very nice HDMI picture, but the Framemeister is expensive. That will run $500 +/- for everything, but you will get an HD picture on original hardware (and the mod). A great option, but expenisve.

HDMI - There are a few devises that run using HDMI. The Retron 5 is a nice, cheap option with a lot of features, including save states. This runs around $150. It can run a variety of different system cartridges and is a good option if you feel you might not be playing long term. The downside is that the cartridge slots are tight and many systems have been known to have defects. It also will not run a lot of pirate, homebrew games. Also, it technically isn't running on true hardware.

There is also an HDMI mod through Game Tech. This is the same board they use in the sold out Analog NT. This mod does everything you want, but it is frequently sold out, and with installation will run you about $200 - $300. It's probably closest to what you want done. I can't think of many downsides, besides availability and price.

The AVS is a system that has been developed by RetroUSB. It is an HDMI NES that promises to do everything that the HDMI mod does and a little bit more. It will play Famicom games as well and will run $185. It's going to have a lot of built in features and will play all NES/Famicom cartridges. Supposedly they are on a boat from China to the US right now and should be available for sale in 4-8 weeks.

Like you stated, the NES mini is being released this fall by Nintendo. No one knows how good the emulation will be, but it's a good legal way to play 30 of the best NES games. Also, the Wii eShop has pretty good NES emulation as well and the games can be purchased cheap. Used Wii consoles are all over the place for ~$40.

Emulation - I won't get too deep into what emulation is all about since it can be illegal, but it might not be a bad option if you are looking for a cheap solution at a low price point.

I hope that helps. Everybody has a different preference in how they want to play. I also think that a PVM or CRT is a great option for NES gaming, especially because it allows for light gun play and it will have no lag. And besides that, people are basically giving away CRT TVs.

The issue is your HDTV will not receive 240p signals.

240p is a "hack" of the tradition timing signals in a 480i video signal, which made each alternating field appear on the same set of lines, rather than alternating them. This allowed for a higher framerate at a perceived lower resolution. It also gave "retro" games the classic "scanline" effect we all remember so fondly, because each alternating line didn't have any video being projected onto it, so it appeared black.

A handful of later N64 games (The THPS series and Madden 2001 both included) use both modes interimittently, usually using the higher resolution for menus, allowing the lower resolution (but higher framerate) for gameplay.

Since, technically, this 240p mode is not part of the NTSC standard, modern TVs just don't support it. They "think" they're missing 1/2 of the signal, so they don't process it, and you get a black screen.

That is your issue.

To fix it, you need an upscaler which accepts this signal type. This is a huge rabbit hole, that depending on your dedication to retro-gaming as a hobby, and your budget, can cost anywhere from $25 to $400.

The $400 solution, which looks astounding on HDTV's, is the XRGB mini.

It costs this much because it is a dedicated piece of hardware that accepts everything from composite video to RGB SCART video, as well as component (via D-Terminal) and HDMI inputs.

It makes old games look as crisp as emulators do on HDTVs, and also allows for adjustable scanlines to be added. It lets you adjust color saturation and sharpness and about 10 other settings to make each console look perfect. It can be bought HERE.

The $25 solution is called an AV2HDMI and it is the best-looking out of the lower priced options, and it actually outclasses many composit-upscalers I have personally tested (it outclasses one that actually cost $120).

There is no reason to buy anything in between these two options, unless you are getting an SCART RGB upscaler. HERE is some captured footage of it working with an N64.


TL:DR: The old signal type isn't supported by your new TV, and the easy way to fix it is to buy a $25 AV2HDMI adapter

> framemeister

Sounds cool. Does not sound $400-500 cool.

Here are your options:

• Real hardware and an upscaler like the xrgb mini: Expensive, but does a much better job of upscaling than your TV will do. Basically, this means that games with tight timing will be more playable with the xrgb mini than with just a TV. For games like mega man and super ghouls 'n ghosts, I found the lag on my TV's upscaler made the games even harder than they already are.
  
• Use a clone system: The retron is probably the best in this area but I have 0 experience. The retron 5 is the latest. Make sure to check the reviews. There is also a portable super nintendo clone that can plug into a TV.
  
• Real hardware but modded with HDMI support: Also expensive and I don't think anyone has done this for the SNES yet.
  
• VirtualConsole on the Wii or Wii U: If you want to be legit you can buy some games from the eShop for about $4-10 depending on sales and title. You could also do a software mod to the Wii (or Wii portion of Wii U) and install emulators using the homebrew channel.
  
• Use emulators on a computer: Some people build a dedicated emulator machine using a raspberry pi but you could also just install an emulator on whatever computer you have. Higan is a very nice emulator if you go this route. I like the 8bitdo controllers. The USB only version is like 1/3 the price of the bluetooth version, but both versions can do USB. They are well made. I have the bluetooth version and I like it (and I'm very picky about emulation, controllers, etc. as I grew up with the original systems).
  
  I used emulators like higan until getting a CRT and rebuying real hardware (I wish I had my systems from growing up but they are lost to the ages). Now that setup is my preferred way.
  
  I hope that helps.

There are a few things you can do. Firstly, finding an S-video cable will provide you with the cheapest and easiest visual upgrade. The linked version is the most common, but there are better versions available. It's said that a cable with just S-video and no yellow composite output will provide a better picture than a combo cable, but in my opinion, the step up from composite to S-video is far more noticeable than the solo S-video upgrade. Should you want one though, the best one on the market seems to be the one Monster released. The downside here is that S-video is becoming increasingly dated, and many new HDTVs don't have them. Make sure to check and see if yours has an S-video input first!

If you want to go even deeper down this rabbit hole, there is a community dedicated to getting the best visuals out of retro devices, notably the wonderful people at www.retrorgb.com. You'll find a lot of great info there, and in regards to the n64, it sounds like certain colored models were more apt for enhanced modding than the original charcoal version. Most of their recommendations center around displaying on old CRTs though, so if you really want to display on an HDTV, you'll need to really drop some cash.

Specifically, you'd need this beast of an upscaler. you'll see info about this thing on the RetroRGB site, but basically what it does is works solely to convert and upscale the SD output of the older consoles into pixel perfect HD images, with as little input lag as possible. It's not cheap, but many people swear by this device.

Last but not least, you could simply play the waiting game. There will inevitably be a successor to the Retron 5 that plays n64 games in upscaled HD the way the current iteration does. And while you wait, the GameCube, virtual console, and especially the 3ds version of OOT all have improved stability and performance overall.

Hope this is helpful!

The first one definitely is not how it would look on a modern TV, they do upscaling on lower signals that doesn't really translate well to pixelated graphics. You can use something like the framemeister to upscale pixel images to 1080p properly.

No TV at the market uses nearest neighbor. It uses different algorithms. Most uses Bicubic interpolation or bilinear interpolation (or some variation of them).

Every application has an optimal way to upscale. Most modern games, as the ones in a Playstation 4, could benefit even from bicubic interpolation. Nowadays many games already uses internal processes to upscale from 900p to 1080p.

BUT if you play any pixel art game, as Shovel Knight, the upscaling with the wrong process can alter the image.

Other risk of using more complex upscaling methods is input lag. EVERY image processing that requires a framebuffer will incur of some input lag. Even very efficient methods. And that is the problem with cheaper scalers. most doesn't work fast enough to incur in a negligible input lag. For classic gaming (usually a 240p signal), i suggest the Framemeister (https://www.amazon.com/DP3913515-Framemeister-Micomsoft-Upscaler-Denpashinbunsya/dp/B006H39XJS)

The "best" way is likely not the most economical...I gotta say my preferred method would be to tell you to find a Trinitron. If you have to go flat screen HD the best way to do it is to invest into a Micomsoft video upscaler/processor. I used an HD CRT set for years and only just recently switched over to an XRGB mini. Not a cheap way to go... I think many would argue that is the "best" but if you're talking something in the median of cost/performance I can't say I'm familiar with too many options.

This is untrue. Crt still looks like shit. To truly get maximum visual quality you need an upscaler. It makes old consoles look amazing.

http://www.amazon.com/DP3913515-Framemeister-Micomsoft-Upscaler-Denpashinbunsya/dp/B006H39XJS

I don't know about cost-effective, but as an FYI to anyone looking for high-quality HDTV upscaling... Micomsoft's XRGB Mini Framemeister is generally considered the best upscaling solution for classic consoles -> HDTV: http://www.amazon.com/DP3913515-Framemeister-Micomsoft-Upscaler-Import/dp/B006H39XJS

You can probably find a better price than the link above.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006H39XJS

This is the Framemeister. It will upscale your standard definition signal and optimize it to connect through HDMI. It also can add scan lines that CRT TVs had. It's expensive, but I've heard and seen great things about it. I don't know of anything else that does what you're looking for other than using an emulator that can upscale the rom.

It's really easy to use tenso. I had typed up a whole thing but accidentally closed it so I'll type again.

1. Sign up at www.tenso.com/en/
   
   
2. Sign up at amazon.co.jp
   
   
3. Place framemeister in your cart http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B006H39XJS/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=AN1VRQENFRJN5&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1B94PQNMTCNBBFF44AJ4&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=463376756&pf_rd_i=489986
   
   Optional step: if you want to hook up component cables you will need something like this http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%B5%E3%83%B3%E3%83%AF%E3%82%B5%E3%83%97%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4-KM-V17-10-SANWA-SUPPLY-D%E7%AB%AF%E5%AD%90%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%9D%E3%83%BC%E3%83%8D%E3%83%B3%E3%83%88%E3%83%93%E3%83%87%E3%82%AA%E3%82%B1%E3%83%BC%E3%83%96%E3%83%AB/dp/B00008B9GF
   
   Once in the checkout process use the guide here to enter in your tenso address https://www.tenso.com/en/guide/buy/address.html
   
   Once it arrives at tenso they will inspect it and then send an invoice for shipping to you. Pay it, and the xrgb mini will arrive in a few days!

The Framemeister is supposed to be the "Cadillac" of upscalers for older game systems. I'm not sure that it has all the inputs you need but it should take care of most of them.

It's complicated. Most game consoles render the video in RGB and then down-convert it to something consumer TVs could display like composite or S-video. The NES was unusual in that it rendered everything natively in composite. You can get RGB out of an NES but you have to mod in some additional hardware between the NES and it's picture processing unit. One such solution is Tim Worthington's NES RGB Board.

But there's another problem. Even if you are able to get the NES outputting pristine crystal-clear RGB video it's still only going to output at 240p. Even if your HDTV can display a 240p signal (most can't) it will likely do a terrible job upscaling it all the way to 1080p. That's what expensive equipment like the XRGB Mini does.

I will be very interested to see how they handle both the quality of the video output and the problem of how to display such a low-def signal on modern TVs.

Kontext nach kurzer Suche.

>$360

Ich verzichte.

I have a tube television already. I really want to get rid of the thing. The newest ones are now 10 years old and they are not going to last.

If I had the extra money, I would buy a Framemeister. This has been on my to-buy list for quite a while.

I haven't got one personally, but I believe this is regarded as the best:
http://www.amazon.com/DP3913515-Framemeister-Micomsoft-Upscaler-Import/dp/B006H39XJS

However, it's a heck of a lot of money...

Well, I suggest the XRGB Framemesiter. However since you called the 28.99 pound adapter expensive the XRGB is probably a tad much at 258 pounds.

However if you really want the best way to connect old gaming machines to a modern television you can't go wrong with it. http://www.amazon.com/DP3913515-Framemeister-Micomsoft-Upscaler-Import/dp/B006H39XJS

https://www.amazon.com/DP3913515-Framemeister-Micomsoft-Upscaler-Japan/dp/B006H39XJS

and

https://www.amazon.com/DP3913547-Framemeister-Micomsoft-Upscaler-Denpashinbunsya/dp/B00QUBK6RK


Like i said there are many models to choose from. Not only that but I dont see option to use component on those two just hdmi and av

This?

http://www.amazon.com/DP3913515-Framemeister-Micomsoft-Upscaler-Import/dp/B006H39XJS

Does it retain the 4:3 ratio?

I suggest poking around on an emulator first to get a feel for things. If you're determined to go with the real thing, though, you would need a disk drive, and that could add double to what you're paying for the machine. Many tape games can be cheaply bought on eBay, so if you wanted those you could get a 1531 Datasette, which should be very cheap. Many UK games (where some of the best games came from) came on tape, but the majority had disk releases as well.

Look out for boxed games, but they're getting expensive nowadays and even the hardware itself has been steadily going up in price for years. Boxed disk and cartridge games are fetching higher prices now than ever before. The most common cartridge would be the one that came packed with the failed C64GS system, and later with C64C's. It has four relatively good games on there - Fiendish Freddy's Big Top 'o Fun, Flimbo's Quest, Klax and International Soccer (the last being a very old and slow game but still fun). Flimbo's is definitely the pick of the bunch.

I would suggest instead of going with the tapes, disks and cartridges route you instead just get a C64 and a SD2IEC, which you can plug into your machine with as much software as your sd card can hold. If you want a little more capability you can get the 1541 Ultimate II, which is a much more fully featured device, but obviously costs a lot more.

C64's do not give out a good picture on modern displays because, like all machines of the time, it was designed to run on good old radiation inducing CRT's. You can get LumaFix 64 (if you get a C64/G and not a C64C, as it forces the VIC-II video chip to sit too high on the board, interfering with where the keyboard sits). Or if you're determined to get the best possible picture, you can splurge on an XRGB Mini Framemeister, which is supposedly the best option.

Good luck with your C64 and if you have any problems, ask here or /r/C64 or even message me directly :)